Brusing, Thrilling Workplace … Amazon

Front Page Story – The New York Times ran the following headline Sunday:

X

Amazon’s Brusing

Thrilling Work Place

X

x

With leads like … ” I would see people practically combust.”, “Nearly every person I worked with, I saw cry at their desk.” or “Giant retailer tests how far it can push white-collar staff.” … Ok … Read the story here

X

Game On … Read On!

x

To make the Times storyline a little more interesting,

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos recently bought the Washington Post.

X

Legacy Media … Past and Future

Major legacy media like the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and others had a cash rich past, but now face a frugal future.

As print subscriptions dwindle and ad revenue dissapates, The New York Times is betting its future on digital. The Washington Post is betting its future on digital. Both have access to capital. Both have access to talent. Both have access to news. Both have access to a global audience. The question is … Which business strategy … which culture will win? Times or Post?

My view is that most legacy media properties are trying to make the new model fit the old model, in general … get the reader to read what we wrote. The Post on the other hand. basically, is trying, through the use of technology and reader metrics, to write what the reader wants to read.

Unique readers are not infinite. So the Bezos beat or the Bezos / New York Times ‘newsbeat’ reader acquisition battle will be both brutal and thrilling.

Side Note: For four years I played against Bob Woodward of the Washington Post in the annual highschool ‘grudge match’ between the Wheaton Tigers and The Glenbard Hilltoppers. Football was a big deal in our towns. Effort was expected and winning was the reward. Woodward was not the best player … but when he was on the field, you knew you had to deal with him. Those games were brusing and tough. I am sure the experience helped shape the ‘toughness’ he displayed when up against Richard Nixon years later. That was over 54 years ago. Woodward is not a 40 hour type. He and Bezos should get along fine.

Closing the Gap? … Look at the Numbers

Jeff Bezos bought the Washington Post. In the new media era, the competition is no longer for the local audience … it has moved to national and global. The new era will be a brusing battle for readers … based on ‘smart strategy’ and rigorous execution. Both organizations are investing multi-millions.

The New York Times has a newsroom staff of approximately 1,300 compared to the Post’s 600. The Post has 46% of the newsroom staff of The New York Times to deliver the news. Yet … the Post can now claim 90% of the monthly U.S. unique visitors of The New York Times. According to Comscore … that’s up from 60% two years ago.